7th Annual Vegan Dinner

7th Annual Vegan Dinner

October 18, 2017

7th Annual Vegan Dinner
In keeping with tradition, October 4th saw our 7th vegan dinner up at Departure.
Over the years it has become fairly well known around Portland, and each year the bar is raised.
This year we highlighted our ongoing relationship with Zenger Farm with sourcing product, and were able to make good use out of some of the last of the summer flowers from our garden.
The highlight of the menu for a lot of people, including the culinary team, was the Cashew Cheese, garnished with the rooftop flowers. To make it they soak and ferment cashews and pine nuts and then age them for a week. It is then seasoned with yeast which gives it a funky, nutty flavor just like a diary cheese.
The other dish of interest was Miso Eggplant with Smoked Tomato XO sauce. A traditional XO is a spicy seafood sauce that originated in Hong Kong and is most commonly used in the southern China regions. Our version is made with tomatoes from summer that were smoked and dehydrated, and then sautéed with garlic, ginger and chili. The flavor profile is incredibly meaty and umami, very similar to the traditional XO sauce and is definitely entirely unique to Departure.
We look forward to see what the 8th year holds!

﻿

reservations

subscribe

Sign up for our email list and be the first to know about specials and exclusive offers